Caldwell, Thomas. "Film Review – The Artist (2011)." Cinema Autopsy. N.p., 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
Jeffries, Stuart. "The Artist: The Silent Film They Said No One Wanted to See." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 08 Dec. 2011. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
Karpel, Ari. "Tributes That Leave Hollywood Speechless." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
Masters, Tim. "The Artist Pays Homage to Hollywood's Silent Era - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
Montage is a type of editing that involves cutting together short shots into a sequence. This type transcends space and time. Usually, the sequence is created by the director to evoke certain reactions from the audience. In this clip, the primary feeling synthesized from the montage editing is anticipation. For example, from 2:18 - 2:22, the scene pans between the protagonist and his opponent creating tension between the two forces and anticipation in the audience. Then, more montage editing reveals the reactions of the people on the sidelines- as a parallel to how the viewer feels. Montage editing, thus, works to create an feeling based on the context. It deviates from sequential storytelling to evoke certain reactions that serve the interests of the director.
Steps to achieving rack focus:
1. Zoom in.
2. Set camera onto manual focus mode and select the lowest possible f-stop.
3. Place the camera so that the first object is in focus.
4. Press the record button and slowly start shifting the focus so that the second object comes into focus gradually.
The rack focus is used in film to shift emotional focus from one person/ one part of the shot to another person/ different part of the shot.
IN AND OUT OF FOCUS
Focus on subject of your choice and blur the subject after a desired time. Zoom out and focus again.
This effect can be used to change the viewer's perception of subject in the moment the shot is out of focus.
BOKEH
1. Use the right lens.
All lenses can create some kind of bokeh, but lenses with large apertures, like f/1.4 and f/1.8 give nice effects.
2. Select a large aperture.
3. Get close to your subject.
4. Focus on what you want to have sharp.
5. Put your subject far from the background you want blurred out.
Bokeh can create an aesthetic background for the main image. The bokeh effect also brings attention to the main subject.
DEPTH OF FIELD
1. Shallow Depth Of Field – Shallow depth of field means that a small portion of the picture is in focus. This is accomplished by using wide apertures. 2. Great Depth Of Field – great depth of field means that a big portion of the picture is in focus. Great Depth of field is achieved by using the short focal length of the point and shoot camera.
5) This is one of the first movies to be credited with using prominent camera movements, such as tracing the characters up and down the elevator. The interesting usage of these movements is that they are employed to tell a story that definitely does not classify as horror.
6) This film is described as a reaction against the sensational movement that Caligari brought forth. A distinct characteristic of this film is that it utilized expresionalist styles associated with horror films "to tell a different type of story.
1) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
2)
3) 1920
4) Robert Weine is the director.
5) The film employs the element of a main character who is negative since the protagonist is marked by paranoia which becomes the main focus of the film. This film is often credited as being a pioneer for other German expressionist films with the same elements of dark and twisted visuals and elaborate sets designed to evoke an ominous feeling.
6) The film is greatly respected and showcased in many museums. It inspired later Expressionist films such as The Last Laugh and Metrapolis. Additionally, there have been many remakes of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari itself.
1) The Bride of Frankenstein
2)
3) 1935
4) James Whale
5) This sequel to Frankenstein (1931) is noted for using the horror style. Additionally, it has the very same idea as Caligari in that this film has a main character who is not completely positive and easy for the reader to identify with. There is also an elaborate set used for the laboratory setting which classifies this film as being an German expressionist one.
6) The film came out to much acclaim and just as much critique, but its legacy continues to live on. It is consistently voted as one of the best horror films from anywhere such as The New York Times to the United States National Film Registry.
Several camera movements in this film have interesting effects. The initial panning shot that travels from the first anchor to the second anchor, and it creates a change in the mood. This change in the mood occurs because the first anchor is positive and content with the turnout, so the audience feels positive. However, the panning shot reveals that the second anchor rather disappointed with the first anchor so there is now an atmosphere of tension. The tracking shot allows the viewer to explicitly view the progression of the action and understand that the scene is becoming more serious. Lastly, the dolly in shot creates a dramatic atmosphere which emphasizes the climax of the movie because the reaction of the actor is slowly revealed.
In addition to camera movements, we also used certain camera angles with specific intent. For example, we used a two shot to start off. In the next frame, however, we separate the two anchors in order to show an increased distance between the anchors as a reflection of their disagreement. Next, at 0:27, we used a close up of the second anchor's face to create drama. We used this drama in order to establish the conflict which would drive our film. At 0:36, we utilized a framing shot to create a larger setting than the desk itself in order to flow into the next part of our film, which begins our actual chase. The stair scene, with the interlacing of the shots in birds eye and worms eye, creates confusion and anticipation within the viewer. The final shot, which is a point of view shot, resolves the movie because the second anchor has accomplished her goal.
Overall, our film came out decently. We struggled a little bit in the beginning arranging all our shot types, and we spent more than the needed amount of type stressing over having every one planned out. I think it would definitely work better next time if we let our scene flow more naturally, and if we chose to add the shots we needed as we were filming. Costuming worked smoothly because we chose to keep it very simple, and the actors had their needed materials everyday. Next time, I think we would benefit the interest of our film to add more props and more intriguing costuming. An area we definitely struggled with was learning to use the new camera movements on the equipment. As a result, some of the movement shots(such as the tracking shot) turned out very shaky. We can easily improve this next time because we understand how to stabilize and level the shots. Something that did not work very well for us was lighting, since some spots of the school were not suitable for filming but we had no choice because we needed continuity. We can fix this by planning beforehand where certain spots may not look visually appealing. In total, our cinematography was satisfactory but not as polished as it could be, but our planning was very good and critical for the success of our film.
Set in the 1950s in New
York, Rear Window follows the
observations of L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries, a professional photographer who is
trapped in his apartment due to a broken leg. He takes to watching his neighbors,
who offer him an assortment of stories, out of his home’s rear window. Jeff
begins to suspect that one of the neighbors, Lars Thorwal, murdered his wife.
He enlists the help of his young girlfriend, Lisa Carol Fremont, and his
nurse, Stella, to prove his belief right.
Cast
James Stewart as L.B.
“Jeff” Jefferies
Grace Kelly as Lisa Carol
Fremont
Wendell Corey as Thomas
J. Doyle
Thelma Ritter as Stella
Raymond Burr as Lars
Thorwal
Crew
Director – Alfred
Hitchcock
Screenplay – John Micheal
Hayes
Cinematography – Robert
Burks
Suspense Created
Through Long Takes
Hitchcock developed his
talent for maintaining suspense using long, deliberate takes which emphasize
the detail in the frame of the movie. The use of this element can be seen in
the following clip of rope in which heavily uses the principle of framing.
Jeffries is looking through his binoculars with anxiety that Thorwal will
understand their plan and the way in which Jeffries, Fremont and Stella have
been infringing upon his privacy. The very end of the scene, near 2:53,
Hitchcock uses an eye level shot in which Thorwal is glaring right into the
camera. The audience feels exposed to Thorwal’s glare and sympathizes with
the nervousness Jeffries feels.
Hitchcock creates that suspense within the viewer by maintaining that shot
for two to three seconds, which is a little longer than what is generally
required.
Camera Angles
and Movement
Hitchcock is famous for
his point of view shots that put the audience into the mindset of the
character. As mentioned above, in the climax, Hitchcock utilizes the point of
view shot to emphasize the emotion and shock that Jeffries feels at Thorwal
catching Fremont in his apartment. In the next scene in which Thorwal
confronts Jeffries creates a different, interesting use for the point of view
shots. Here, Hitchcock utilizes the flashing red lights to show how the shot
is screened from Thorwal’s view. When this happens, there exists point of
view because the confusion and indecisiveness which Thorwal feels is carried
over to the audience feeling confusion as well at the chaos of the scene.
There are also a multitude
of panning shots used in order to create a feeling of constraint as very
little additional information is revealed. The panning shots are used to show
how Jeffries feels being unable to get up and look around at the events occurring
around him since he is confined to his seat.
Lighting
There is lots of dark
lighting used to create an ominous and suspenseful tone. This conveys the
message that the unfolding of events, such as Thorwal discovering Fremont in
his apartment will obviously not be positive. Also, many scenes such as the example of the right incorporate severly dark surroundings. This shows how little the audience knows, relating to the symbolism of light and illumination.
Voyeurism
The
concept of the film rests on Jeffries viewing his neighbors’ activites. This
theme settles with the rest of those that are defined by the movement of voyeurism
in film starting in this time period. The concept of the protagonist being a
regular observer of the activities of others intrigues the audience until
they are drawn into wonder the very same thing. Hitchcock’s concept draws in
his target audience to wonder at Jeffries’ curiosity. The constant
observation links the audience into realizing how little they know and at how
the characters know even less.
Film History and Theory
Set
in the postwar period, Rear Window offers
a look at the dark and mysterious films that marked this time period in
cinema. The depressing mood left by the war is reflected in the themes of
this film. The film is made in classic Hitchcock style of suspense.
Watch for
The pacing and deliberelately extended shots which drag the suspense of the scene.
Mise-en-scene - notice how detailed every objected is incorporated into the frame of the shot.
The effective usage of point of veiw shots and how they drag the audience into experiencing the world in the same way as the protagonist.
The theme of voyeurism and how central it is to the development of plot. Also, notice how intriguing Jeffries' interest in watching others is for the audience.
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